Saturday, December 27, 2014

There is so much misinformation out there that people who care about the carriage horse issue in NYC and support a ban do not know what to believe. I will attempt to disabuse you of any preconceived notions you may have after being fed a diet of the Daily News and NY Post or listening to Council Members like Espinal and Crowley, both of whom have borrowed the pages from the Carriage Driver's play book.

Please accept this as a fact: The truth is not getting out to the public.

In this blog, I will address the stable issue only. The carriage drivers and their supporters claim that Steve Nislick, the head of NYClass, wants this property. He does not. The sooner you accept this truth, the sooner you will begin to question the other lies such as the "good union jobs" or the "horses will all go to slaughter if there is a ban."

These and other lies will be addressed in the near future. We have no conflicts of interest, do this work for free, and only want to save the horses from a life that often ends at the auctions. We are not part of, nor do we have any affiliation with, NYClass. The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages began this campaign in 2006. We are a 501-(c) -4, incorporated in 1995 under The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc.

FIRST RULE: Always question what you hear from the main stream media - whether right wing or seemingly progressive. They all have ulterior motives, which may not be apparent. This includes the NY Daily News, NY Post, Wall Street Journal, Crain's NY Business, Newsweek, Fox News, NY-1 and the editorial board of the NY Times. The Daily news, particularly, is a bastion of yellow journalism. They have ulterior motives to bring down Mayor deBlasio because they cannot tolerate his progressive policies. None of these media sources supported deBlasio in the Mayoral primary - although some did come around in the general election. It was the people who gave the Mayor his landslide -- not the media.

NYCLASS: We have total confidence that Steve Nislick/NYClass has no interest in the stable properties. It is intentional propaganda by the right wing media in NYC aided by the Cavalry Group, lobbyists for puppy mills and horse slaughter and now lobbying to keep the carriage trade in NYC.

SENSELESS: Why would Steve Nislick covet these two small parcels of property for years and years when there was so much else available (if he wanted it) since it is an urban renewal project that extends over many blocks. Answer: he would not and if you believe this, then you have fallen for the lies perpetuated by the right wing media and the unions that have been duped by them.

THESE ARE THE STABLES: The two stables pictured here fall in the path of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, which has been going on for more than ten years - many more years than NY Class has been in existence. The Byrne Brothers stable is on the left and West Side Livery is on the right. Whether or not the carriage trade comes to an end, these stables' days are numbered. There is nothing about either of these two properties that is special or desirable. The area is being built up and gentrified to service everyone. Google it and find out for yourself. We need to stop catering to the special needs of a few entitled people - the carriage owners.

$$$$$$$$: The buildings are worth about $10,000,000 each and both owners stand to make a huge profit. While it should go without saying, they can also decide to whom they will sell the property. Yet there are some people who have fallen for this argument without questions.

OTHER STABLES: The other stables on W. 48th and W. 52nd are not in this redevelopment area so can keep this property for anything their hearts desire. They can continue to rent out to pedicabs or turn it into a parking garage.

MORT ZUCKERMAN, multi billionaire owner of the NY Daily News and strong supporter of former Speaker Christine Quinn who was endorsed by his paper, is also the executive chairman of Boston Properties, a large real estate investment trust. Google to see their ownership of this city and their involvement with the Hudson Yards Project.

Friday, November 28, 2014

NO JUSTICE FOR BLONDIE!On
Wednesday, November 26th, in Manhattan’s Criminal Court, carriage
driver Saverio Colarusso pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly
conduct.Originally charged with a
violation of Section 353 of the Agriculture and Markets law – misdemeanor
animal cruelty - it appeared that the DA’s office simply wanted to make the case
go away.Now Colarusso will not have a
record.

not for Officer Brian Koll who
spotted the horse limping, Colarusso would have gotten away with this.We often see similar situations but calling
the NYPD generally does not result in any action.Although they have been charged with
enforcing animal cruelty laws and carriage horse regulations since the ASPCA
gave up humane law enforcement in January 2013, they do virtually nothing when it comes to the
horses.The Coalition has reached out to
Mayor deBlasio and Commissioner Bratton but so far has been ignored on this issue. Still waiting.

District
Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office is bad to non existent when it comes to
prosecuting animal cruelty cases. In 2013, the NY Post reported that the DA’s office dropped animal abuse charges against Daniel Padilla, who was seen
viciously beating his dog.

By
ignoring or diminishing charges of blatant cruelty, the justice system – in
this case Vance’s office- helps to
perpetuate the cycle of violence, essentially giving tacit approval to animal
abuse with a wink and a nod -- that if you hurt an animal, expect to either get
the charges dropped or paint park benches.Those who have been arrested for crimes against animals are much more
likely to go on to commit violent crimes against humans.The FBI is well aware of this.

The
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages has been to most all of the Colarusso
court hearings, each taking only a minute or
two at most and dragging on over monthsWe were there on Wednesday to hear this disappointing verdict.

Freddy the Fly contacted us with his point of view.

A FLY ON THE WALL

Freddie the fly reports in about this case…

This was a scene at one Hogan Place at one of
the weekly case meetings -

Date: approximately summer 2014

Topic: the case of Saverio Colarusso, carriage
driver charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty, working a horse lame in
December 2013.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY (top guy): [loud booming
voice] S why the hell is this damn case dragging on so long? it is almost a
year since the defendant was charged. Make a damn deal and get them to take it
for god's sake. It's clogging up our case load.

LOWLY ASST. DA: [nervous voice] Cyrus, I have
tried - the lawyer won't accept a deal. They are stringing it out and playing
hard ball. They continue to refuse - what can I tell you - I can't twist their
arm.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: [louder booming voice] S -
god damn it - you either get them to take that deal by reducing the charge, or
you will be transferred to the Bronx or Staten Island. Got it? It was only a
damn horse. Get real, S. No one cares about the horse except those zombie
wackos who come to court and stare at the judge. The way everyone is acting,
you would think this poor slob hurt a person.

Activist ties to hit Colarusso over the head with a skillet.(just kidding)(NYPost)

Tell the public the horse is
doing well now - that it was only a fluke. Lie. Get in front of the press, S,
old boy. Handle them. And keep the defendant away from those crazy animal
rights activists. They come to court every damn hearing. They follow the
defendant when he leaves the court room. They hold up "animal abuser"
signs. Give the defendant a safe place to stay - get the judge to help. We need
to see how we can prevent them from coming. Maybe stop them at check in. Or
screw up the room location or dates. Can't stand those crazies. Animals don't
vote. Remember that. I didn't get into office because some damn horse or dog
pulled the lever in the voting booth.

One Hogan Place - via phone - November 26, 2014

LOWLY ASST. DA: Cy, Cy - I did it, I did it.
The lawyer accepted a deal. Can I stay now? Got anymore of those animal cases
for me? I will immediately offer a plea bargain - no matter what. I hope you
still like me.

FLY ON THE WALL: hmmm - seems to me the case
was handled badly but no surprise. The DA's office should have stuck to its guns and went with the original charge and taken it to trial. They had a good
solid witness - a NYC police officer. But that Vance guy is known for watering
down animal cruelty charges. If they wanted to, they could have made a real
case of this - charged the horse owner and stable manager; questioned the
veracity of the Department of Heath vet who played down the horse's condition
-- see if she had any conflicts of interest; played up the report from the
original Florida vet who had to outfit Blondie with a special boot; given more
credence to the defendant's past record.

Even if they lost the case at trial,
it would have sent a message that they take animal cruelty seriously. But now
-- they just consider it "disorderly conduct."

Hey I better shut up before i get swatted. OK - off to my next
job. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

In the interest of truth, Freddie the Fly on the Wall is a made up figment of our imagination.###

Update: 12/17/14 -- On Monday, December 8th, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages - Intro 573 was finally introduced into the City Council / Transportation Committee. Click here to see the text. Immediately, the Teamsters, who "represent" the carriage trade, jumped into high gear and pressured Council Members to come out in opposition of the bill. Several did - including those from the City Council, State Legislature and even Congress. They all said the same thing. We oppose this bill because it would kill "good union jobs."

Newsflash: These are not good union jobs. A good union job provides benefits to the dues payer - i.e., health, vacation pay, sick days, collective bargaining. Such benefits do not exist here because it is not a real union job. For $60 a month, the Teamsters act as a lobby group. It seems that the Teamsters and other union friends are throwing their weight around, bullying council members into taking this position, based on untruths. The drivers want to protect their cash only business where they can report what they want to the IRS. The workers/drivers are mostly independent contractors, not employees. They do not even qualify for sick pay under the new law. This is a good union job?

Please contact your council member by calling their district office if he/she has taken this position. Click here.

Illegal: Horse-drawn carriage in Climate March

The Teamsters, as Local 553, have been
representing the carriage drivers in NYC since 2008 when they saw an
opportunity arise after a horse named Smoothie was killed in a spooking
accident. The drivers are not organized into a union shop, which means
that there is no mandate to join; no collective bargaining, vacation,
medical benefits or retirement benefits that one would expect to find in
a real union. Both the owners and workers are in the same local and
most of the drivers have not joined. The $60 dues are essentially a
lobbying fee. Nevertheless, the Teamsters have no problem calling them
“good union jobs.”

One wonders why the Teamsters cannot help the drivers get authentic
“good union jobs” and continue to represent them in another business.
The death knell has already sounded in this industry and whether it is
through legislation per Mayor deBlasio or eventually through the Hudson
Yards Redevelopment project, the end will happen.

Unions helped build the middle class, improving wages, making the
workweek shorter, workplace safer and addressing the health and
retirement needs of workers. I understand it and support it. Real
union members should be outraged at this “fake union” because it is a
sham – designed to bully the City Council and the Mayor into submission
with implied threats of working against them next election.

typical congestion near Central Park

The only way for the unions or the Daily News (which has waged a
crusade against a ban and deBlasio) to get support for this industry is
to lie – and lie they do. They never let facts get in the way.
Because these blatant lies have not been challenged by a media that is
only too willing to follow in lock step, the truth is not getting out.

TRUTHThe source of the $19 million number is Steve Nislick from NYClass.
When projecting the income expected from a new electric car tourism
industry, he estimated the income from the carriage industry for
comparison. It was an unfortunate overestimated guess and these numbers
could not be substantiated. This is a cash only industry made up of 68
separate businesses, whose tax returns are private. Nevertheless, that
did not prevent Crain’s NY Business, Daily News and many others in the
media from citing this puffed up number. The bigger the number, the
more viable and important the carriage industry sounds.The Teamster flyer also claims that the drivers make between $40,000
and $100,000 per year. But these numbers do not jibe with the
$19,000,000 figure also on the flyer.A confidential source from the carriage trade has told us the income
is more like $10,000,000 annually but only about half of that gets
reported to the IRS since it is a cash only business. Using a figure
of approximately 4% for NYC tax, this would mean that the industry is
contributing only about $200,000 annually to the tax coffers of NYC not
the $760,000 that their supporters claim.The way this can be settled once and for all is to have all drivers –
owners and employees both – submit their tax returns for public
scrutiny. But until then, they need to stop lying about how viable
their industry is.

TEAMSTER SPEAKThe Teamsters continue to say that the industry is regulated by four city agencies and the ASPCA.

hardly romantic

TRUTHThe ASPCA withdrew from enforcing animal cruelty laws and oversight
of the carriage trade in January 2014. The four city agencies are the
Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs,
Transportation, and the NYPD, which ostensibly took over from the
ASPCA. We continuously complain about the lack of law enforcement,
particularly on the streets. The NYPD looks the other way as the
drivers make illegal u-turns, leave their horses unattended and
untethered or overload their carriages. There is no one to stop them.
As state Senator Tony Avella said in the Times Ledger in January 2014 “The city has been doing an awful job monitoring this industry,” he said. “It’s disgraceful.” Yes, Senator and unfortunately nothing has changed under our new mayor. With the departure of the ASPCA, it has gotten worse.

TEAMSTER SPEAK There have been only three equine deaths due to collisions with motorized vehicles and no human fatalities.

TRUTHThis is quintessential “teamster speak” manipulating the facts so it
is only about collisions when other causes of death are equally as
important. In fact there have been many reported deaths of horses in
this industry. In January 2006 when we started this campaign, Spotty
had just died from a spooking accident. Later in September, Juliet, an
old mare, was diagnosed with Exertional Rhabdomyolisis or “Tying up
Syndrome” and died in her stall. In 2007, Smoothie was killed in
another spooking accident. In 2011, Charlie collapsed and died on the
street on his way to the park. This does not account for the many
horses who died behind closed doors in the stables from colic or another
cause. The only way to know this is through the Freedom of Information
Law.

Since we started analyzing the known incidents, at least 13 horses
have died publicly in 30 years. This does not include horses who died
in the stables.While it is true there have been no human deaths in NYC, there have
been human deaths elsewhere that involve carriage horses and it is only a
matter of time before it happens here.

The Teamsters’ position is
irresponsible because they deny the nervous nature of these powerful
horses who spook easily and become unwitting weapons when frightened,
bolting into traffic causing havoc. It’s a Safety Issue addresses these concerns.

reminding Mayor deBlasio about his promise to ban the carriage trade

TEAMSTER SPEAK The Quinnipiac poll has shown that more than 60% of New Yorkers oppose banning horse-drawn carriages.

TRUTH This poll was taken months after an unchallenged onslaught of media
propaganda led by the NY Daily News, which continues to this day. In
this kind of environment where the truth is not welcome, it is not
surprising that people who have been subjected to media brainwashing
would react this way.

Prior to Mayor deBlasio’s election, every poll taken on this subject
resulted in between 75 and 80% of respondents in favor of a ban.

TEAMSTER SPEAK There are 300 people whose jobs will be affected. Teamster George Miranda said. “By
destroying the horse-carriage industry, the city would be killing good
jobs and leaving 400 hardworking taxpayers and their families out in the
cold.”

TRUTH The number of people in the industry has grown like Pinocchio’s
nose. However, a June 2014 document from the Department of Consumer
Affairs shows 228 horse carriage license holders. Not all of them live
or work in NYC. Some are not even in the industry. One had been
deported to Mexico; another lives in Sicily, one owns a restaurant in
Brooklyn, and yet another has a carriage business in Cape May – but they
continue to hold on to their licenses. They are relatively inexpensive
– another NYC perk — only $35 for two years compared to $30 for one
year for pedicabs. Owners pay $100 for two years compared to $110 for
one year for pedicabs.

We Feel Your Pain

IN SUMMARYMayor deBlasio is the first pro union mayor in 20 years. He
inherited a mess from Mayor Bloomberg including many municipal union
contracts that had not been renewed – some for five years –
representing 300,000 people. Yet his administration is moving along
and almost finished negotiating and resolving these contracts.

So why are the Teamsters beating up on Mayor deBlasio publicly,
siding with the Daily News, which prints covers saying that the mayor is
an ass. Do municipal union members realize what the leadership is
doing?

If the Teamsters succeed in getting Mayor deBlasio to go back on his
word, it will hurt him. He will become known as a flip flopper and
worse. When he runs for reelection in 2017, this could be used against
him. He will be known as someone who does not keep his word and is
essentially a puppet for the Teamsters. Although NYC is considered to
be a Democratic city our last two mayors were Republicans. Is this what
the Teamsters want? Are they really that dense – all for a couple of
hundred people that they could retrain in real union jobs? Or is it
something else? Do they have someone in mind that they want to put up
against deBlasio – someone who will be their puppet?

Follow the money …

Bottom line – do we want this city ruled by the Teamsters – the
updated version of Tammany Hall – or a strong mayor who answers to his
own conscience?

Saturday, October 4, 2014

In 2010, a local law was passed that required NYC carriage horse owners to provide a “5-week vacation for their horses.” The language of this new regulation can be found under Regulations in the Administrative Code – Rental Horse and Protection Law.

§ 17–330 Regulations – g.2 Carriage horses shall receive no less than five weeks of vacation or furlough every twelve months at a horse stable facility which allows daily access to paddock or pasture turnout. Proof of such vacation or furlough shall be provided upon request to the department and/or the ASPCA.

The media went nuts with the concept of a horse getting a "five-week vacation" when many

people do not get as much time -- as if this were the greatest thing for these horses. No one questioned if it was appropriate. No one!Instead, the media's reporting conjured up images of horses lolling about in swimming pools sunning themselves. Crain’s NY, a long time supporter of the carriage trade, said: “The horses get a minimum of five weeks' vacation every year. Many are shipped off to fields in Pennsylvania for leisure, often for three months at a time." This was typical for the media, but it was all hype.

Carriage horses enjoying their "5-week vacation"

Nevertheless, the public and the media were only too happy to accept it as gospel. It was promoted by former Mayor Bloomberg, former Council Speaker Christine Quinn and former Council Member James Gennaro – all supporters of the carriage trade.

This was deception of the highest order.

Vacations are a human concept. People need them – not horses. Horses need daily turnout to pasture where they can graze and socialize with other horses. As herd animals, they like to engage in mutual grooming to relieve their stress – something they do not get to do in NYC.

How many of the horses enjoy real turnout

There has been much written on the benefits of turnout for horses. Virtually all equine practitioners without a financial conflict of interest will come down on the side of the horse. The only people who claim horses do not need turnout are those who blindly defend the carriage trade, which simply does not have the land to do this. These are the same people who defend horses in the Climate March parade or parking a carriage horse over a steaming manhole cover. For 47 weeks out of the year, the horses get nothing – deprived of free exercise and the opportunity to be a horse. They work 9 hours a day, 7 days a week, coming back to a stall that is half the size it should be.

Turnout - NYC style

But the reality of these “vacations” is even worse.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene seriously failed the horses with this legislation because nowhere did they ask for a list of farms that would participate in this program; nor did they require inspections of these farms. This omission begs the questions of where the horses actually go and what are they are doing once they get there. It is all on the honor system. In October 2011, former ASPCA equine veterinarian, Pamela Corey was quoted in the New York Post. "Dr. Corey, the director of equine veterinary services of the ASPCA’s humane law-enforcement department, said

“We have observed some horses returning to New York City after furloughs on a farm in worse condition than when they left.”

is this what NYC carriage horse really do on "vacation?"

This statement was never investigated and was apparently ignored.

While some of the drivers do own farms and hopefully their horses do get to relax, most do not. It has been rumored that many of the horses are sent to Amish farmers where they are worked for this period and not fed properly in exchange for satisfying the “vacation” requirement. This would account for Corey’s observation. The Amish would never tolerate seeing a horse just hanging around in the pasture doing nothing. The farmer would want to put him or her to work. This is no “vacation.”

This is just one of the many truths about the carriage trade that has been kept from the public because of media bias. Let’s get over believing that the carriage drivers “love” their horses.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Look down the next time you visit the hack line. There's more misery than you may know.

It's difficult not to recognize the horses' suffering. Exploited for greed and entertainment, the NYC carriage horse is an icon of misery. These dispirited horses travel up to 4 miles a day in heavy traffic, suffer concussive injuries and lameness from pounding the pavement, and don't get enough water. New York City carriage horses also must share their feed with starving pigeons. This contaminates the feed and puts horses at risk for illness.

It's not an anomaly, it's the norm. The carriage drivers don't discourage it. In fact, they often throw feed on the filthy ground.Picture it: New York City carriage horses stand aroundin excessive heat and cold waiting for fares. The horses are watered inadequately and eat feed that is tainted with pigeon droppings.

Miserable, right? It's bad for the horses and it endangers the lives of the pigeons, who frequently fall victim to the wheels of the carriage.

This happened during our September demo & outreach event. The poor hungry birds are there one minute, gone the next. As always, one of our activists took the pigeon's body into the park, out of respect.

A ban critic recently said that the horses are happy and the pigeons are, too. I recommend that everyone wake up and take a good look around the hack line--and don't forget to look down.The ban will make New York City a better place.

Side note: Pigeons are wonderful creatures. An August 2014 Epoch Times cover story ("New York Too Busy to Care? Center Rescues City's Injured Birds") warned against bird bigotry and gave us a history lesson on the heroic birds. The reporter wrapped it up by saying, "By the time I had done an elementary Google search, I was ready to get down on the ground and salute them."

Monday, September 22, 2014

Editor's Note: this is revised as of 9/27/14 based on new information concerning the Department of Transportation. See highlighted area below.

No place for a horse …

Teamsters and carriage drivers put horse in harm's way by using him in the Climate March ... and it was illegal.

The first ever People’s Climate March was held in NYC on Sunday September 21st.It was wall to wall people – estimates of 350,000 – some were as high as 400,000.Lots of noise – bands, drummers, rolling crowd whoop – when that happened, it was so loud, I had to cover my ears. I got there at 10:30 and it was not until 1:00 pm that we began to move – by baby steps.It was exciting and exhilarating - a great time for people.

But never for horses.

At 3:25 into this video from the March organizers, a moment of silence is held followed by sounding the “climate alarm,” which translated into people shouting as loud as they could, banging drums, using noise makers.This happened many times during the march.I call this a “rolling crowd whoop” because it started at the front of the march and made its way back. During the march, there was a mix of chants, bands, drums, parade noise – sometimes so loud it would rattle your ear drums.

It was no place to bring a horse.

this is an example of the constant noise level of the march - video taken on 42nd St.

It was no place to bring a horse.

The People’s Climate March organizers said there would be no horses in the march-- for obvious reasons.

But that did not stop the carriage drivers.There they were with a horse-drawn carriage in the middle of the crowded march.The horse did not look relaxed.The horse did not have a choice. Talk about narcissistic, selfish and greedy. And cruel. Very, very cruel.

Carriage horse pimped out by drivers; Although wearing blinders, his eyes look terrified

And Illegal!

On Sundays, the
horse-drawn carriages are allowed to work only in Central Park until 7pm, after
which they can go into certain areas of the city.

Drivers must apply to
the Department of Transportation for a variance if they would like to work
their horse carriage outside of the existing regulations.They
did not. This was confirmed by the Manhattan Borough Commissioner.She told me that no request was made and if
it had been, they would have denied it because of the danger of a 2,000 pound horse in the
march.

§
19-175 Variance for special events. a.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 20-381.1 of the code, the
owner or operator of a horse drawn cab may apply for a
variance from the provisions of section 20-381.1 for the limited purpose
of carrying out a contract to provide a horsedrawn “cab” for the “filming” of a “movie,”
“television show” or “commercial; or for a wedding, parade, or other special
event as shall be defined by the commissioner by rule. The
commissioner shall grant such variance when he or she determines that the
issuance of such variance would not have an
adverse effect on vehicular or pedestrian congestion, commencement of
theatrical productions or public safety.

b. A variance
application shall be in such form as prescribed by the
commissioner and shall be submitted to the commissioner no
fewer than three business days prior to the date
of the event for which the variance is requested.

c. The
commissioner may require the payment of
an application processing fee in an amount to be established by
rule.

d. The commissioner
shall issue a document specifying the variance.
Whenever a horse drawn cab is being operated in accordance with a
duly issued variance, such variance shall be carried by the
driver of such horse drawn cab and
shall be produced upon the demand of any police, traffic, parks or
other enforcement officer authorized to
enforce section 20-381.1 of the code.

e. Use of a variance by any
person other than the person to whom it was issued, or for any purpose
other than the purpose for which it was issued, shall
subject the person using such variance to a civil penalty of not less than
five hundred dollars.

This is a very serious offense but I can guarantee that no one will be fined because of the fear of Teamster retaliation. The carriage drivers put everyone at risk -- the horse, them and the many march participants. Since our campaign began in 2006, we have documented many spooking accidents in which people have been trampled by spooked and bolting horses and died from their injuries.

Horses are very sensitive creatures and their nature should be respected.They have acute hearing and don’t like loud noises. The danger of putting a horse in this kind of noisy parade environment is that he could spook and bolt, hurting himself and others.But even if he did not spook, it was cruel to subject him to such a stressful environment to make a point about jobs.

Many of these drivers do not deserve to be the custodians of such precious animals - animals they consider property - like a car or television. The horses are clearly a means to an end – to bring in income - and when they do not make the grade anymore, most are laundered through the Amish farmers on their way to auction and then slaughter. The law does not require records for horses sold outside NYC as most are.

Because they have no shame and are insensitive to being hypocrites, the drivers carried signs that read “ Teamsters – climate justice” and “Teamsters – green jobs.”

The Keystone XL pipeline has been called the pipeline to environmental disaster. Does anyone see the hypocrisy here? Teamsters marching in an environmental issues parade. This is how the march was unfortunately co-opted by special interest groups that have no interest in environmental justice but just want the photo op.